The invention relates to a strut for a folding vehicle cover of the type which bridges the roof width by being braced axially by angled strut flanks attached to load-bearing connecting components on both sides of the vehicle, a strut section of the strut being raisable into a tensioned position in which the roof skin of the folding cover is stressed by a spring loading means formed by the strut section.
A strut of this type is disclosed in British Patent Specification No. 836,677. This is a tubular corner strut having strut flanks angled downwards in mutual mirror image symmetry, which can be plugged into housing bushes fixed to the vehicle wall in order to attach the strut to the vehicle. The lower ends of the strut flanks are thereby firmly braced circumferentially and counter to the plug-in direction after the strut is fitted.
In order to achieve a vertical mobility of an upper strut section, the strut flanks are divided into a plurality of tubular sections which are nested telescopically and which therefore permit variations in the length of the strut flanks by mutual longitudinal sliding of the mutually associated tubular sections.
Since the corner strut is required to tension the roof skin of an associated folding cover, a compression spring arrangement is provided which stresses the yoke-shaped upper strut section with a vertical feed and presses it against the roof skin with a substantially constant spring force.
The total possible vertical feed of the strut section is limited here by slot stops of the telescopic guides, each of which is formed by a clamp screw.
By means of the clamp screws the strut section can be fixed simultaneously in a lower limit position, whereby the closing process of the folding cover remains possible without difficulty when the corner strut is applied.
When the folding cover is closed the clamp screws may be released, causing the strut section, driven by the compression springs, to fly up until no further vertical feed is possible after the roof skin is made taut.
The fitting of the known corner strut is thus necessary in addition to the closing process of the folding cover and is furthermore rendered difficult by complicated operation.
It is therefore an underlying object of the invention to develop a generic strut of a folding vehicle cover further so that its operation is simplified as far as possible.
This object is achieved according to the invention by providing an arrangement wherein the strut is integrated into the cover frame of the folding cover by its strut flanks being braced articulately against associated side wall frame parts, wherein the strut section is retained in the locked limit position during the course of the closing movement of the folding cover until a taut roof skin is obtained, and wherein in a final closing phase of the folding cover it is automatically lowerable out of its limit position counter to the spring bras of the spring loading means into a tensioned position under the influence of longitudinal tensile forces in the roof skin. With this arrangement the strut participates in the positive movement of the cover frame and is entrained by the cover fabric into its obliquely oriented limit position when the folding cover is closed. The transmission of the lowering feed to the strut section demands higher actuating forces in the final closing phase compared to customary folding covers, whereas the manipulation of the folding cover remains entirely unmodified.
An operation of the strut independent of the operation of the folding cover is therefore superfluous.
The strut can be constructed particularly simply if it is constructed overall as a flexurally resilient shaped spring, whilst the locked limit position and also the tensioned position of the strut section may be defined by different deformation positions.
This construction is characterized by a small material outlay, the possibility of inexpensive production, low fault-proneness and minimum requirements for installation space.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.